Boldly running where I've never gone before

I will always remember the summer of 2011 — a season gobbled up by marathon training like the Crystalline Entity chewed up planets then left their essence trailing behind in clouds of electromagnetic flatulence.  

The Berlin Marathon will take place in 2 weeks and I will be there, ready or not.  At this point on any training plan it is time to taper, and taper I must — even though I never reached the magic number 20 miles for my farthest run.  The 18-miler done on Labor Day will have to suffice as my longest outing before the event.

I’ve never run a race I felt prepared for.  I’ve always worried about being last, fattest, slowest or oldest.  This season’s emotions have run the gamut from excitement to dread, confidence to despair, and anticipation to apathy before settling in to the current theme:  simple readiness.  This is not readiness like an elite athlete who calmly strides to the start line and prepares to break records.  I’m just ready to be done with this shit and get it behind me.

Training since the last post on August 28th (the day of the 16 miler):

August 29 – off
August 30 – yoga
August 31 –  3 mile easy run
September 1 – awesome 5 mile tempo run
September 2 – session with personal trainer
September 3 – 5 miler on a day that I’d planned to do 7, but it got too hot too soon
September 4 –  off
September 5 – 18 miler on a beautiful cool Labor Day morning (and it took ALL morning to do it)
September 6 –  intense lower body stretching routine followed by some half-hearted corework
September 7 – 4 fast miles, the first three with negative splits  —-  booya!
September 8 – session with personal trainer
September  9 – 5 easy miles
September 10 – off, unless you count some 12 ounce curls at a picnic
September 11 – off  (maybe should have done 20 on this day but my back hurt and I was tired so I did the smart thing and rested)
September 12 – yoga

What remains now in the last two weeks of training is to continue running enough to maintain the level of endurance earned thus far without being injured and then rest a couple more days before the race.   I’ve gone as far as I can go and all that’s left is to show up on Marathon morning and get it done—whatever “it” will be.   I can’t predict how it’s all going to unfold but I do know this much:  Like the Crystalline Entity, I’ll be out there for 42 kilometers chugging along,  gobbling up miles and farting stardust.